Prioritizing personal well-being and balance enhances workplace culture, productivity, and presence while preventing burnout and endless to-do list cycles.
Put on your own oxygen mask before you help others. Whether we are traveling for work or for leisure, for most of us the oxygen mask message has become an insignificant part of the mundane travel script – it’s just background noise. The truth is, it should be anything but. The simple intent of the oft-repeated message is a reminder that if things were to take an unexpected turn during the pending journey, everyone would need to be fully present in order to serve and/or assist others.
When we take a moment to visualize the (hopefully never-realized) scenario of an in-air crisis, it is easy to see how following such a commonplace direction would be vital to our survival. The direction of the flight attendant should serve as a reminder to us that being present is quite essential for our continued existence. The same holds true in the workplace.
We are all, of course, more than our job titles and work assignments. We have books to read, museums to meander in, walks to take with friends, and children to focus on. These moments, along with many others we enjoy outside the workplace, are what fuel our lives and make us who we are.
On the work side of things, a moment to pause and reflect at the completion of a project – whether successful or not – will help us be present for the next assignment, or more importantly, help us nurture and train up-and-coming staff. We bring all of our experiences, habits and passions to the workplace, and the benefit of our well-rounded and balanced lives is reaped by our colleagues, clients, and our work product. The rightly-celebrated and appreciated diversity in the workplace is a product of the diversity in each of our individual lives.
Unfortunately, with the demands of workplace budgets and project deadlines, it is easy to fall into the trap of being so hyper-focused on crossing things off our to-do lists, that days, weeks, and years can be absorbed into the same. Whether it is starting a little bit earlier each day “just until this project is finished” or making a bit of progress “chipping away” on a pending deliverable well into the evening (in hopes of getting a head start on the following day), we routinely find ourselves susceptible to work-related “busyness” and oftentimes wear the badge of the same as if it were a gold star at the top of our spelling test or an extra stripe on the arm of our battle-worn uniform. When this happens, we are clearly neglecting to put on our own oxygen mask before helping others.
Any company that emphasizes and is intentional about sustaining a healthy culture must, at a minimum, encourage every individual team member to pay attention to the world outside of work. There is a world beyond the billable hour, and supportive leaders should stress the importance for growth outside of the office for every employee. While nothing is guaranteed, if this is put into practice, each employee would continue to bring their individual flavor to the rich company “stew” and it would further allow them to be more present during the work day. Nobody should need to add “take a 20-minute stroll around the neighborhood” to their to-do list, but such routine tasks (add your own) that allow for personal growth, reflection, and joy should be part of every day. Everyone around you – in and out of the workplace – will benefit, and it will allow you to be more present in the workplace.
This practice enriches the culture that we AEC professionals desperately rely on to attract and retain team members. Know that there is nothing more important than the needs, cares, and passions of each one of our team members. It differentiates our culture and attracts others to us.
In 2021, Oliver Burkeman published 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, a quick read with the stark reminder that everything on your to-do list will never be completed. Burkeman reminds the reader that completing all the daily tasks and crossing out items on our to-do list is at best a futile venture, where the things that make life most enjoyable are often overlooked and postponed until we “get on top of” all our work-related tasks.
Burkeman notes that, “The problem with trying to make time for everything that feels important – or just for enough of what feels important – is that you definitely never will. The reason isn’t that you haven’t yet discovered the right time management tricks or supplied sufficient effort, or that you need to start getting up earlier, or that you’re generally useless. It’s that the underlying assumption is unwarranted: there’s no reason to believe you’ll ever feel ‘on top of things,’ or make time for everything that matters, simply by getting more done.” That said, the only way to be present, of course, is to actually be present.
I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to fighting through the day to complete as much as I can on my to-do list. In fact, if a work task pops into my head before I go to sleep, I’ll often pick up my device and send myself a brief email to add just a few more last minute “must do” items to the list. While it’s always a pleasure to see an email from a younger (albeit only eight hours younger) version of myself greeting me at the top of my inbox the next morning, like everyone, these tasks are just prioritized and hit head-on with only the best intent. Of course, between the online meetings, phone calls, and the general unexpected nuances of the day, everything on the list is never crossed off, and many of the items (which looked so darn achievable at 7 a.m.) get bumped to the list for the following day – or weekend. It is simply impossible to be completely present at work, at home, or at the places in-between for clients and/or coworkers if the focus of our days is limited to the unwinnable and unending game of the to-do list.
That said, to be present and prepared for the inevitable unexpected turbulence of the work day, there seems to be only one solution. Be sure to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others.
Tom Mesk is a project director at SCS Engineers. Contact him at tmesk@scsengineers.com.
